When the wine ran out at a wedding in Cana, Jesus turned emptiness into abundance and water into wine, revealing His glory and pointing to the greater joy found in Him alone. The sign was not merely about meeting a social need but about revealing the new covenant and the abundance of grace that surpasses the old. Through trust in His providence and obedience to His word, hearts are drawn to believe in the One who alone transforms and satisfies. All who belong to Christ now look forward to the marriage supper of the Lamb, where the best has truly been reserved for last.

Automatically Generated Transcript

[00:00:00] Amen, amen. Well, thank you so much for having me here. My name is Zeke, and after the service, I’d love to just be able to come and talk with you and meet you. But I am under strict instructions by Jim to preach from the floor. So I will quickly move this pulpit to the floor if that’s all right. But just so we can get acquainted here, I am Zeke. I’m from New Zealand. Me and my wife, Taylor, who is right here in the front row. Taylor, why don’t you say hi to everyone? Everybody say hi, Taylor. Hi, Taylor. So me and Taylor, my wife, my beautiful wife, we moved here to the Gold Coast two and a half years ago from New Zealand and Wellington. And Kiwis are friends, not food. So thank you, Jim, again for letting me come

[00:00:45] and preach. And we are here with our nine-month-old Hezekiah, and he would also love to meet you after the service, and that’ll be great. But I’ll pray, and then we’ll get into it. We’ve already had John chapter 2 read for us. But what I want to focus on tonight is breaking it up into three categories, okay? So we have the problem, we have the sign, and then we have the glory. But why don’t you turn to John chapter 2, and we will be there tonight. But let me pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you for your Word. I thank you for your Spirit that is here with us now. Lord, would you speak to us through your Word, shape us more into the image of Christ. Open our eyes so that we can behold your glory just like the disciples did. And we ask

[00:01:35] this in Jesus’ name. And everybody said, Amen. Amen. Well, have you ever ran out of something? Have you ever run out of money? Maybe run out of time? And I was thinking about this passage, and it reminded me of when I was an intern at my church back in New Zealand. And me and Taylor, we had just started dating, and it was Christmas time, and we wanted to go and look at the Christmas lights. Or Taylor really wanted to go and look at the Christmas lights. I really wanted to just hang out with Taylor. And so we hopped into the car, and we were excited to go look at all these Christmas lights. And we quickly became aware that our mightiness and pulser was running on empty. And so I quickly went into the nearest petrol station, I checked my bank account on my phone to be greeted with 48

[00:02:22] cents. Again, I was a church intern. And an event that was supposed to be full of excitement, full of joy and expectation, quickly turned into a moment of pure embarrassment as a guy who wanted to woo my now wife, praise the Lord. But that is the drama that we are diving into tonight. All right. So first, I just want to look at the problem. So if you look there at John chapter 2, verse 1 to 5, it says, on the third day, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. And the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, they have no wine. And Jesus said to her, woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come. His mother said to the servants, do whatever he tells you.

[00:03:20] Now, I just want us to pause there and just note that Jesus, the Son of God, the creator of the universe, the one who came to earth to live, to die and to rise again, took the time to be at a wedding. And it just shows you the intimacy of Jesus. See, Jesus spent his time with people. He laughed, he cried, and he celebrated his friends getting married. It’s also important to know that Jesus begins his public ministry at a wedding. And for us that are in Christ, it points to an even greater wedding that is to come that we read about in the book of Revelation. But we will look at that at the end. See, weddings in the ancient Near East at this time lasted up to a week long. And to run out of wine would be a disaster. It would be an embarrassment. It would be a shocking way to

[00:04:11] start your wedding. And it was the groom’s responsibility to make sure that it was all catered for. And so for him, this would have just been an absolute disaster. Now, Mary, Jesus’ mother, informs Jesus that they have no wine. And it’s interesting for us just to pause here, because why did Mary ask Jesus or tell Jesus they have no wine? What was she expecting him to do? Because we read in verse 11, and we’ll get there later, that this was the first miracle, the first sign that Jesus ever did. So was she wanting Jesus to do a miracle or what was it? But the second thing I want you to know is that by this time, Jesus’ dad, Joseph, was dead. He had probably passed away. And because of that, Jesus would have assumed head of the household.

[00:05:03] And so Mary, because he was the elder son, Mary would have looked to Jesus for support in times of issues and problems. And the last thing I want to note is Jesus is sinless. So Jesus never had a bad solution to a problem in his life. I wish Taylor might, well, no, Taylor wishes I was more like Jesus than that. I end up making it worse. Tell me about that later. It had to do with a cat. Yeah, anyway. But put all that together, and I just believe that Mary had learned to trust Jesus. Two things I want us to take away from that. First is just to trust in the providence of God. There’s been time and time again in my life when what on the surface was a terrible incident or an opportunity missed or something that I thought, yep, God is in this, and then all of a sudden it stops.

[00:05:58] But when I look back, I can see God’s hand in it. That I wouldn’t be where I am now if it weren’t for God using those negative situations to form me into the image of Christ to not be where I am today. And it’s in this situation that if the wine hadn’t run out, Jesus’ glory wouldn’t have been revealed in this moment. God knew what he was up to when the wine was running out. So it doesn’t matter what’s going on in your world. If anxiety is flaring up or doors seem to be closing, trust in the providence of God in that moment. And sometimes we don’t even know what God is up to until we get to heaven. But we should trust that God is good and that he holds us in the palm of his hand. Second takeaway is go to Jesus. And I put in bold letters, first. Go to Jesus first.

[00:06:52] And it is so easy for us to go to Jesus later. When we face a problem, when anxiety floods our heart, like I said, it’s so easy for us to turn to other things, other people, even look just to ourselves. But Mary here, her first instinct when this problem arises is to go to Jesus. And there is much that we can learn, that we can go here to Jesus, go to him in his word, go to him in prayer, and ask for his help. In verse 4 it says, And Jesus said to her, Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come. And we read there and we read woman, and we’re like, oh Jesus, that’s a bit intense, don’t you think? And it’s important just to note that, yes, there is a shift here, but it is still a relational word that is being used here. But it is also a bit more formal.

[00:07:43] And it’s important to note that there is a shift where Jesus is saying, yes, I am your son, but not only that. I am the son of God who came to live, to die, and to rise again to save all who believe in me. See, Mary must come to him in this manner from now on. Yes, not only calling Him Son, but also calling Him Lord. We know this for Jesus says, My hour has not yet come. Now, the hour Jesus is referring to here is His death on the cross, His resurrection and exaltation. Jesus at the very beginning of His public ministry is also pointing to His glory that is going to be revealed on the cross. And we’re going to look more at that when He reveals His glory. But verse 5, his mother said to the servants, do whatever he tells you.

[00:08:36] In verse 3, we read of Mary approaching Jesus with the problem, and now she responds in verse 5 with faith. She still doesn’t know what he is going to do, but she trusts him and instructs others to do the same. So there’s the problem, and now we turn our eyes to the sign. So if you look at John chapter 2, verse 6 through 10, it reads, Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding 20 or 30 gallons. Jesus said to the servants, fill the jars with water. And they filled them to the brim. And he said to them, now draw out and take it to the master of the feast. So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it had come from,

[00:09:30] though the servants who had drawn the water knew, the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, everyone serves the good wine first. And when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now. Now verse 6 is important for two reasons. First, to show the meaning behind the sign. And secondly, to show the abundance of the sign. So first, the jars that are used here aren’t any random jar. These are the jars used for the Jewish rites of purification. And so what are the Jewish rites of purification you might ask? I’m glad you asked that. They were used for ceremonial hand-washing prior to meals under Jewish law and custom. Now, we think of that, oh, yep, cool, they’re just washing their hands before a meal. We should all do that, amen.

[00:10:24] But this was also a deeply religious act, representing here the old covenant. And what Jesus brings here is ultimately better. Hebrews 10, verse 1 to 10. I just want us to read this and really soak in it for a little bit. Feel free to turn there. But in these sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me. And burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book. When he said above,

[00:11:43] You have neither desired nor taken pleasure and sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings. These are offered according to the law. Then he added, Behold, I have come to do your will. He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. These jars were used to point us to Christ once and for all, cleansing of sin. And now Jesus is here. Second, these jars show the abundance of the sign. We read there that these were no small jars. These stone jars held 20 to 30 gallons each. And six of them full. We are talking a miracle of over 650 liters of wine. This is no small miracle. Verse 7, Jesus said to the servants, Fill the jars with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

[00:12:47] The servants were probably thinking, What the heck are we doing? But let’s just be obedient to Christ in this moment. See, when Jesus commands us to do something, to follow him, to confess sin, we must obey. I love what Charles Spurgeon says commenting on this verse. When you are told to believe in him, believe in him up to the brim. When you are told to love him, love him up to the brim. When you are commanded to serve him, serve him up to the brim. Now, what is Jesus saying to you tonight through his word, by his spirit? In the words of Charles Spurgeon, do that up to the brim. verse 8 he said to them now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast so they took it and i want you to know jesus didn’t have to say anything to the water he didn’t need a certain

[00:13:47] amount of time to perform this miracle he didn’t have to do some sort of special act to make it happen he simply willed it to happen he didn’t even have to speak to it and the water turned intertwine. And here, again, we just see the power, the sovereignty, the might, and the lordship of Jesus in this moment. He is the very Word of God. He is the creator of everything around us. John starts his gospel in chapter 1, verse 1 to 5. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything that was made. In him was life, and life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Jesus is the

[00:14:44] creator and sustainer of all things. One 17th century poet writes this, that the humble water saw its God and blushed. And I just love that. The humble water saw its God and blushed. Jesus is the creator and is worthy to be worshipped. The rocks cry out to him and so shall we. Verse 9 and 10, when the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine and did not know where it’d come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew, the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, everyone serves the good wine first. And when the people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now. Jesus is better. we see that Jesus provides what Jesus provides is far better than the old covenant ever could

[00:15:42] because it was never supposed to satisfy or to complete or to take away sins but to point to something better to the one who could actually take away sin one commentator writes Jesus transformed the old water of Judaism into the new wine of Christianity The wine Christ brings is better than anything this world could ever offer. Separated from Christ, we are under judgment, living in rebellion to God. We are enemies of God, dead in our sins, but we are made alive in Christ. In Christ, we are forgiven, made new, and await an even greater wedding. Don’t wait. If you are not in Christ, repent of your sins and believe in him. John chapter 3 in his gospel. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

[00:16:45] In Romans chapter 3, 21-26, we read, But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it. The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Have faith in Jesus tonight.

[00:17:47] Sin is in that person’s problem or that person’s problem. No, the Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And it’s when sin becomes, no, I have rebelled against God. I have broken his law. I am deserving of righteous judgment. And it is only then that by God’s grace and power that we could taste the good wine of the forgiveness of Christ when we turn to him in faith and belief. Turn to Christ and taste the better wine. Forgiveness of sins is only found in him. Why wait until everything else runs out before turning to Christ? Why save the best for last? And lastly, we look at the glory that we read about in John 2, 11. Hezekiah is getting excited down the front here. We love it. Good preaching, daddy. No. This is the first of his signs.

[00:18:55] Jesus did at Cana in Galilee and manifested his glory and his disciples believed in him. You’ll notice that John uses the word sign instead of miracle throughout his gospel. He does this because these aren’t just random acts of miraculous power, but these are intentional signs that point to Jesus being the son of God. And we read that in John chapter 20, verse 30 to 31. And this is him just explaining why he wrote his gospel. And this verse has actually made John probably my favorite gospel because of the evangelistic heart that John has, just like your pastor Jim has. Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book.

[00:19:38] But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Note the heart in John’s gospel. John wrote his gospel so people would see the glory of Christ and believe in him. And I just wanted to encourage us all tonight that that would be our heartbeat as well. To long to see people see and know the glory of Christ and believe in him. To taste of the better wine that is only found in him. And this first sign Jesus revealed his glory. We read chapter 1, verse 14. We’re bouncing around John, but it’s good stuff. In the first sign we read, Jesus revealed his glory. Verse 14, the glory of the one and only who came from the Father, full of grace and full of truth. The glory of Christ. That’s what we read about.

[00:20:45] We see that Jesus is the son of God, the creator and sustainer of all things. It’s also important to know that this is an unshielded glory. This isn’t his most glorious moment. This is just a part. It is just a glimpse of the glory that is to come. That we see fully revealed. Fully, or should I say most greatly revealed on the cross and in his resurrection and exaltation. And last thing I just wanted to say, not everyone put their faith in Christ that day. The disciples by faith believed in Jesus. They saw his glory and they believed. And I would just ask, would you believe tonight? Would you look to the glory of Christ and believe? Turn to him in confession of sin. And maybe you are a follower of Jesus and you love the Lord and you see his glory and you’re so excited.

[00:21:37] Maybe have the heart of John in this moment. If you want other people to see that glory. And just to conclude, I want to draw our attention lastly to a greater wedding to come. Greater than the wedding of Cana. This is the wedding when those who are in Christ will behold him in all his glory at the wedding supper of the Lamb. The first of Jesus’ public ministry, the first sign, sorry, of Jesus’ public ministry was at a wedding. And just like how the best wine was kept for last, so it is for us that are in Christ. The best things aren’t now, but they are to come. In this life, we have some great things. We have the gospel, we have family, we have friendship, we have the promise of God’s grace, we have fellowship with one another, we have the singing of songs and hymns.

[00:22:40] we have the forgiveness of sins but we also in this life have the ongoing wrestle with sin we have sickness we have death we have the death of loved ones but one day those will all pass away revelation 19 verse 9 for blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb and it is then that the best will come for then there will be no more sin no more weeping no more sickness no more death there will be joy and pleasures forevermore because for those that are in christ on that day we will see jesus face to face let’s pray tonight Jesus we thank you for the truth of your word thank you that we can rest in this great hope that one day we will see you face to face at the great marriage supper of the Lamb where we will be your bride and you will be our groom Father I pray for those who don’t believe in you Lord would you give them faith to see your glory and to respond as the disciples did by believing in you Lord we long to know you more Lord Jesus and it is in your name we pray Amen Amen